Posts Tagged ‘Palestinian Islamic Jihad’

A wave of disapproval, and perhaps resigned expectation rolled across most of Jewish Israel on Monday afternoon with the release of The Schabes Report (183 pages) by the “Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict.” Professor William Schabes led the Commission, which included Mary McGowan Davis and Doudou Diène.

(The complete 34-page advance executive summary of the report can be viewed by clicking here.)

A Canadian professor of international criminal and human rights law, Schabes has been called “the world expert on the law of genocide and international law.” But Schabes was forced to resign in February 2015 after Israel publicly revealed that he had once been a legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization – a clear conflict of interest. Justice Davis took up the mantle of leadership for the time remaining to the Commission.

Everywhere Israeli soldiers fought in the summer of 2014 was Occupied Palestinian Territory according to the United Nations. But even the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) was forced to admit in The Schabes Report that Hamas controls the Gaza region.

As such, even the UN Commission was inspired to refer to the region’s terrorist rulers as a separate governing entity (see item five, page three of the 34-page advance executive summary of the report.) However, the Commission failed to note that it was the population of Gaza who in 2006 democratically elected Hamas* – a terror group whose charter still documents its vow to annihilate the State of Israel — to rule the enclave.

Instead, according to The Schabes Report, anything the Israel Defense Forces did in Gaza to conduct their counter terror military campaign against “Palestinian armed groups” was considered illegal.

There was no mention of the term “human shields,” nor was there any reference to the military activities by Hamas that had provoked the war. Oddly, the Commission blamed the “Occupation” by Israel on page five in item 14: “The hostilities of 2014 erupted in the context of the protracted occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and of the increasing number of rocket attacks on Israel.”

The Commission continued its rant against Israel in a similar vein on page seven, in item six:

“The most important characteristics of the hostilities of 2014 … [were those] that reflect new patterns, notably attacks by Israel on residential buildings resulting in the death of entire families; Israel’s ground operations, which leveled urban neighborhoods; and violations by Palestinian armed groups and authorities in Gaza, including their reliance on attack tunnels.”

The Commission flatly implied that Israel had deliberately set out to murder Gaza civilians and destroy as many civilian residential structures as possible; thereby swallowing terrorist propaganda hook, line and sinker if not in fact actually helping to write the script.

This, despite numerous, concrete satellite imagery and other photographic evidence to the contrary made public during the war by the IDF – all disregarded.

Here’s a snippet from page 12, items 50-52, from the executive summary of the report:

1. The extensive use by the Israel Defense Forces of explosive weapons with wide-area effects, and their probable indiscriminate effects in the built-up neighborhoods of Gaza, are highly likely to constitute a violation of the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks. Such use may, depending on the circumstances, qualify as a direct attack against civilians, and may therefore amount to a war crime. 2. In addition, the fact that the Israel Defense Forces did not modify the manner in which they conducted their operations after initial episodes of shelling resulted in a large number of civilian deaths indicates that their policies governing the use of artillery in densely populated areas may not be in conformity with international humanitarian law. 3. The commission examined several additional incidents, including attacks on shelters, hospitals and critical infrastructure, in which artillery was used. The use of weapons with wide-area effects against targets in the vicinity of specifically protected objects (such as medical facilities and shelters) is highly likely to constitute a violation of the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks. Depending on the circumstances, indiscriminate attacks may qualify as a direct attack against civilians, and may therefore amount to a war crime.

For the record, according to international law, residential buildings become legitimate military targets when used for military purposes.

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan (and a few quiet others) have been urging U.S. President Barack Obama to climb down from his tree and listen to Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. There’s a reason for that.

A new radical Islamic axis is forming, one that is cuddling up to the Muslim Brotherhood. The once-scattered Iranian-backed terror groups dedicated to annihilating the State of Israel are coalescing into a second axis while threatening to form an alliance with Daesh, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria also known as ISIS, as well as Al Qaeda and other global jihad organizations.

Because part-time pundits don’t have time to study the fine details of where things are happening on the political chessboard of the Middle East, here’s a cheat sheet to help you keep score on the latest realities in the region.

For a lot of Western political analysts, the Arab Spring was confusing and a real pain in the neck — but that was a walk in the park compared to the nightmare now facing foreign affairs policy makers trying to stay abreast on current terrorist ties and the tangled web they are spinning in the ‘hood.

U.S. President Barack Obama is looking for a way to nurse his salty wounds over having to spend his final tenure swallowing bile while chatting civilly, if not with good manners, during phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

But here’s what’s happening right now — and what the leader of the greatest country on earth has to grapple with — while he continues to search for ways to pick a fight with Israel’s most popular leader since the Israel was founded by its first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion.

In Africa:
Two terror organizations in Nigeria and Somalia, Boko Haram and Al Shaba’ab respectively, have both pledged allegiance to Daesh, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Both groups have slaughtered thousands and wounded more, committed numerous atrocities and are continuing to carry out murderous terror attacks to prove their mettle as “jihadists,” or holy warriors for Islam.

The moderate Arab nation of Tunisia suffered its first public terrorist attack by ISIS this weekend in a massacre that left 20 dead and dozens of others wounded in the iconic Bardo museum in Tunis, including many foreign tourists. At least 3,000 Tunisians have flown to Syria to join the ISIS terror organization; it’s no surprise those chickens are beginning to come home to roost in North Africa.

Tunisia is one of the few Arab nations left that can claim to be home to one of the most ancient Jewish communities in Africa, and which has enjoyed a healthy international tourism trade. It now faces severe damage to its tourist industry, which was just beginning to recover from the ravages of the Arab Spring. Ominously, the threat level facing Tunisia’s Jewish community on the country’s island of Djerba is also not clear.

Libya, which borders Tunisia — and where an American Ambassador and three U.S. diplomats were murdered in an Al Qaeda attack in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 — has been entirely swallowed by Al Qaeda and allied terrorist groups. ISIS has also joined the party, spreading cells throughout the country as well. Earlier this month, ISIS made its “debut” appearance in the oil-rich nation with a public seaside beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian laborers taken captive by the terror organization.

In the Middle East:Egypt is facing one of the toughest fights of its life in the Sinai Peninsula as it battles a budding invasion by ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Iranian proxy groups. Homegrown terror cells and disgruntled Bedouin tribes are aiding and abetting this effort, having always looked for greener pastures and a better deal regardless of who’s in power in Cairo.

Gaza has been controlled since 2007 by Iran‘s proxies who include Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and in a consultant position, Hezbollah. All maintain contentious but cooperative relationships with the Salafi, global jihad Army of Islam terror group which is linked to Al Qaeda. ISIS is also now represented in the region as well.

Jordan is facing an existential threat on its borders with Iraq and Syria due to ISIS having captured border crossings on both, and the presence of Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards along the border with Syria. So far, its only remaining friendly borders are with Israel, and with Egypt. In addition, the Palestinian citizens within Jordan are not as friendly to the Hashemite regime as one might believe; moreover, they are wont to align with the Muslim Brotherhood which also operates within the kingdom and which can be seen as a fifth column.

Lebanon has been swallowed by ISIS, Palestinian Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades linked to Fatah, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, all of whom vie for power in the nation. Hezbollah holds the lion’s share of the political clout in the government since the terrorist group long ago expanded to include parliament members and actual ministers in the government cabinet as well.

Iraq was the first to fall to ISIS; its border crossings with Syria and Jordan were easy prey for the terror group. Iran easily persuaded the government that its was better off allowing its Islamic neighbor to “help” it fight off the Sunni threat than to place its trust in the American administration that had abandoned its ally when it was still to weak to fend off terrorist and tribal challenges to the power of the central government. So now Iran has now entered the picture there as well, to “assist” Iraqi forces in fighting ISIS, which Iran perceives as a threat to its own interests, for the time being at least.

It is likely that when the power struggle ends, one way or the other, Iran will be the force to divide the spoils and cut a deal with ISIS in order to ultimately divide up the region between the two emerging empires. However, Iran will ultimately be the one to rule because ISIS does not have the self-discipline, nor the structural underpinnings necessary to create and maintain an administration to rule an empire. This is quite separate and apart from Iran’s booming weapons production industry, not to mention its galloping race to develop nuclear arms.

Watch it happen – you read it here first on Jewish Press.com.

Syria was the little ticking time bomb that appeared to have set off this entire conflagration – but if one looks closely, it is clear that ISIS does not attack the forces of President Bashar al-Assad. Nor does Assad bother much with the ISIS terrorists. Both have bigger fish to fry.

Assad is an Alawite — a sect that is linked to Shia, hence his close ties with Shiite Iran and that nation’s support of his struggle. Iran sent Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps units and Hezbollah guerrillas to fight alongside his troops. Russia also supplemented Assad for quite some time — right up to the point that Assad began to lose and Russian citizens were endangered. Then Russian “consultants” were evacuated, funding slowed down to a crawl but weapons shipments continued to arrive.

ISIS meanwhile wants to expand its reach throughout the entire Middle East — and that’s just for starters. Its ultimate stated goal is simply to establish a worldwide caliphate — an “Islamic State” — and nothing less. Think ‘Hitler’ with a 21st century media team and you’re headed in the right direction.

In any case, Syria is no longer really Syria; it is now divided up into cantons, each of which is governed separately by various emirs and such. Many report to ISIS already. Some report to Al Qaeda. Others still are loyal to the “moderate” Syrian National Council and its Free Syrian Army. A few are hanging on to Syria’s government, or what’s left of it – mostly around Damascus.

And now there’s Yemen, bits of it left currently on the chopping block and most already nearly to the mop-up stage by Al Qaeda, ISIS and their Houthi opponents, soon probably to be allies as well. Of course, Al Qaeda had laid the groundwork for the takeover of the country to a great extent, having infiltrated and permeated the territory over the past several years. Al Qaeda promotes the image of being at odds with ISIS, although the latter began as a freak offshoot of the terror mothership, but it is more likely all a bluff. We will yet see the day the two will re-unite as one, or return as allies.

In the meantime, Saudi Arabia is starting to move its military forces towards the border with Yemen. The last time Saudi Arabia did that was in March 2011, when it “helped” its neighbor Bahrain fend off a surreptitious move by Iran to foment unrest in the Sunni-ruled country (which has a Shia majority) under cover of the Arab Spring. It took one day for 1,000 Saudi troops and 500 troops from United Arab Emirates to clear protesters from around the iconic Pearl Roundabout in Manama, and then to destroy the statue on what became known locally as “Bloody Thursday.”

The U.S. Embassy in Yemen has been closed due to the escalating attacks. Embassy staff and families of diplomats were evacuated from the country, just in time. The last group of 100 American special forces who were there to consult and help the Yemen military fight off the takeover in the first place were evacuated from the country last weekend due to the ‘rising danger.’

Houthi rebels seized the airport and control of the entire city of Taiz as well as the surrounding province over the weekend as well – about 240 miles south of the Yemeni capital of Sana’a — according to Taiz provincial government officials who spoke with international media.

As early as January, Yemen’s president and his cabinet resigned after the Houthis surrounded the presidential palace, and in fact the entire capital city of Sana’a was captured by the Houthi rebels. Last week ISIS suicide terrorists arrived in Sana’a and bombed two mosques, killing 137 Yemenis and wounding hundreds more, making it clear that supremacy over the city is still up for grabs.

The United Nations Security Council met Sunday (March 22, 2015) to discuss Yemen’s deteriorating situation, with its UN envoy to Yemen reporting the country is “at the edge of civil war.” Meanwhile, Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi remains in exile in the southern port city of Aden, maintaining that he is still the nation’s leader. Last week, the Houthi war against Hadi pursued him all the way south to Aden, with an air strike aimed at the palace where he is housed. That day, Houthi rebels on the ground battled Hadi loyalists in Aden leaving 13 dead.

Finally, there is Turkey.

It’s odd how few actually discuss what’s happening in Turkey, a NATO member who has provided free passage to literally every single terrorist group that has requested safe passage through its country, even into Syria to reach the ISIS capital of Raqqa. If you travel through Istanbul airport on an average day, it becomes amazingly clear that whoever wishes to, can travel through Istanbul from Iran, Russia, or anywhere else.

Turkey is the ultimate Casablanca of today’s Middle East.

Muslim Brotherhood officials are warmly greeted by their supporters there. Hamas has a new international headquarters in the country, Fatah and other Palestinian officials are always welcome, and ISIS operatives move across the border to bring imports (brides and other ‘items’) to Raqqa with no trouble at all. Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members – you name it, and you can make that meeting happen in Turkey, if you know the right buttons to push. Even United States officials are welcome.

Just be wary if you’re Jewish, or Israeli, of course.

Only a U.S. reject deported back home via Cairo to make a good showing to the Americans was turned back. Turkish authorities didn’t bother with that performance when it came to ignoring three young Muslim school girls from the UK whose frantic parents begged the Ankara government to block them from crossing the border into ISIS Land.

One wonders how Turkey is able to square its relationship with NATO with all that going on.

But managing delicate, intricate relationships are a peerless skill practiced by Turks since ancient times. There are few who can match a Turkish diplomat in anything, let alone the multi-lateral negotiations involving events so complex that one would need a nuclear microscope just to see past the surface, let alone begin to address it.

No wonder President Obama feels so disgruntled, so out of sorts, so … over his head.

This is not his neighborhood. He doesn’t know the language, diplomatically, behaviorally, gramatically or culturally. Nor has he yet learned the basic regional sport of bargaining in the souk. Worse, he probably would never enjoy it. You have to really love it to survive it.

But if you don’t live in the neighborhood, or you never come to visit, how on earth can you work out a two-state “solution” — let alone PEACE? More to the point, if you really dislike it so much why bother?

Mr. President, at least relax a little before you really hurt someone, and let those who actually like the region deal with it and with the Israelis too.

By the way – just as for your information — you may not realize it, but in Israel the appliance stores are still doing a really brisk business selling those terrific home appliances that are made in Turkey. Now, how do you suppose that could be, given all that hostile anti-Israel ranting from Ankara?

Israelis are waiting and holding their breath Monday as their military is ordered to hold its fire for seven hours in another humanitarian cease fire brokered by Egypt on Day 28 of Operation Protective Edge.

But Hamas has said bluntly it will not hold its fire during the seven-hour humanitarian cease fire period and intends to keep firing. A spokesperson announced on local Al Aqsa TV the temporary truce is intended to “divert world attention from the massacres committed by the Occupation.”

Moreover, civilians in Rafah have been warned by their Hamas terrorist rulers not to approach the border crossing with Egypt even though Cairo has opened the crossing to enable Gazans to leave. Perhaps Hamas hopes to ensure it will continue to have its human shields available for ‘photo ops.’

Israeli officials have made clear that IDF soldiers are attacked during the cease fire, they will return fire.

Set to begin at 10 am and last until 5 pm local time, the cease fire is intended to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and to allow displaced Gazans to return to their homes.

Its parameters are clearly delineated; it will not apply in the areas of the southern Gaza border town of Rafah where the IDF is still operating as it searches for more terror tunnels, according to a statement by the Defense Ministry.

Meanwhile, delegations from Palestinian Arab groups reportedly met Sunday in Cairo to discuss the possibility of a more extended cease fire, but the effort seems a bit pointless given the attitude — and the disorganization that appears to be taking place within Hamas.

Israel has made it plain that Jerusalem has no further interest in negotiations with the terrorist organization in any case, which has demonstrated its unreliability and its lack of honor — a key point in Arab culture — following the attack that violated the 72-hour cease fire forced on Israel by the United Nations and the United States, and underwritten by Qatar.

“There is a feeling among those who put in a lot of effort that Hamas is not serious,” said a government official in Jerusalem. “It is difficult to see them as having any real role in a cease fire.” Instead, Israel will act in its own interests, “redeploy and continue to defend itself,” the source said.

More than 1,800 Gazans have died in the conflict, most due to the insistence of Hamas that civilians stand as human shields in their attacks on Israel. Hundreds, however, have been terrorists targeted by the IDF, Israel said.

On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers have fallen in combat and rocket attacks have killed three civilians despite a nationwide system of bomb shelters and aerial anti-missile defense.

Israel began withdrawing troops from Gaza over the weekend even as 119 rockets and missiles were fired at civilians in the Jewish State; 108 actually reached Israeli territory. Eight were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. For its part, the IDF struck 63 terrorist targets within Gaza.

Among those were terrorists who shelled an IDF position in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah and then hopped a motorcycle to flee, right next to a boys’ school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). An IAF aircraft fired a missile at the terrorists, eliminating the threat, but the price was high: 10 died and among them were civilians, including several children, and 30 wounded. The world ignored the circumstances and condemned Israel, of course.

Early in the morning on Monday, masked Palestinian Arabs rioted Monday morning on the Temple Mount, hurling rocks and explosives at security officials as the site opened to tourists. A mob surged towards the entrance of the Mughrabi Gate, blocking it to prevent police from sealing it off.

While Fatah-led Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah did their best to put a good face on things in Samaria, Hamas terrorists continued ‘business as usual’ in Gaza.

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) officials announced at a briefing to reporters in Ramallah late Tuesday afternoon that “all” PA unity government factions were willing to hold their fire under a 72 hour cease fire.

The announcement was allegedly based on a proposal advanced by United Nations special envoy to the Middle East, Robert Serry, according to PLO official Yasser Abd Rabbo — who said Gaza’s Hamas terrorist rulers had agreed as well.

However, Rabbo did not specifically mention the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization in his announcement. That group has been responsible for numerous long-range missile attacks on Israel in the past three weeks.

Together with Hamas, the PIJ has broken every cease fire that Israel has agreed to. This time, Israel did not race to respond with an agreement — a wise move, given the capricious nature of the enemy with which it must contend.

Less than an hour after Rabbo’s announcement, Fatah’s ‘unity government partner’ Hamas denied ever agreeing to the deal.

A spokesperson for the terrorist organization categorically denied the report from Ramallah and said that Hamas did not, in fact, agree with the announcement made by Rabbo.

Earlier Tuesday, international media reported that a delegation of representatives from various Palestinian Arab factions arrived in Cairo for talks on an Egyptian cease fire initiative proposed two weeks ago. Reportedly, the PIJ had sent a representative to that meeting.

Even as these words are being written, Code Red incoming rocket alert warnings have continued to flash across this journalist’s screen, making it clear there is a far cry between announcements of agreements to cease fires in Ramallah, and facts on the ground in Gaza.

Upon hearing rumors of the possible cease fire, IDF soldiers in Gaza, meanwhile, told reporters in the field, “We can easily overcome Hamas.

Early Friday morning, Lebanese terrorists seemed to be joining the conflict with Israel launched by the Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza.

IDF Spokesperson Lt.Col. Peter Lerner told journalists it is not clear whether the rocket fire was “symbolic or something more substantial” at this point. However, he said, Israel has suspected for some time that terrorists in Lebanon might open a second front in the conflict with Islamist terrorists Gaza.

At least three rockets have been fired at Israel from Lebanon since midnight, the first having been launched at about 2 am. That one didn’t make it to Israel and apparently landed within Lebanon.

Two more missiles were fired from a southern Lebanon village into Israel at about 6:30 a.m.

One of the missiles exploded in an open area on the outskirts of the northern Israeli city of Metullah, located on the border with Lebanon.

The second missile – reported by Lebanese media but unconfirmed at this point by Israel — apparently malfunctioned and landed inside Lebanese territory.

Forces from UNIFIL (United Nations International Force in Lebanon) and Lebanese security personnel immediately began to search for those who launched the missiles.

Within the hour the IDF responded with its own barrage of artillery fire, aiming at targets across the northern border.

The Islamist Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon is generously funded, equipped and trained by Iran, and in recent years has been actively involved in teaching its skills to the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror groups in Gaza. Hezbollah terrorist cells have been found in the Sinai Peninsula and in various other locations around the world, particularly in Europe – in many cases where Hamas also has mini-bases and “satellite headquarters.” Likewise, Hamas and PIJ have received much funding and weaponry from Iran over the past several years.

All three groups are also linked to Syria; in the current conflict, Hamas for the first time began firing a new longer-range M302 missile, produced by Syria.

As ground forces of the IDF prepare to enter Gaza, Israel’s Air Force, Navy and Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence agents continue to operate on other fronts.

Israeli civilians are taking a deep breath and continuing to carry on their daily affairs as much as humanly possible given the situation and the missiles being fired at their families and homes.

Gaza terrorist groups are competing to see who can launch the missile at Israel that flies the farthest, fastest. All are deeply frustrated by their failure to score a significant “hit,” according to military analysts.

Hamas has made a number of attempts to strike the Dimona nuclear reactor. Each time, the group’s newest acquisition, the Syrian-made M302 missile, has failed to deliver — instead, it was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The M302 as a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) and carries a warhead weighing approximately 144 kilograms (318 pounds.) From Gaza, it can reach as far as Nahariya, north of Haifa, but it is not clear whether that is with or without explosives in the warhead.

Late Thursday Hamas claimed that it deployed another new missile in its arsenal: the Iranian-made Sajl — or “Sejjil” (‘baked clay’ in Persian) rocket. The group said that so far it has launched 10 of these longer-range missiles — but the claim makes no sense.

It may instead be part of the signature disinformation campaign that marks the intermediate part of a Hamas military campaign — that which includes boasting, threats, the use of human shields, misinformation and wild exaggerations.

The true “medium range” Iranian Sejjil-2 is a ballistic missile that weighs 21.5 tons and measures 18.2 meters in length, with a diameter of 1.25 – 1.50 meters. It is propelled by solid fuel and has an operational range of 2,000 kilometers, and allegedly is harder to detect by anti-missile systems, as it is covered with anti-radar material. The missile is also more efficient as it requires less amount of time for prelaunch preparations, according to a 2009 statement by Iran’s Press TV.

It is odd to think of Iran gifting such a powerful, valuable weapon to Hamas, when the entire length of the State of Israel is only 260 miles, or 418 kilometers. But if Hamas were to fire such a weapon, one has to wonder where it would land; probably not anywhere in the Jewish State. With a range of 2,000 kilometers, one wrong launch could land Hamas in very hot water with its patrons, and Israel’s hostile northern neighbors.

Meanwhile, here is a quick guide to the rest of the arsenal currently being held by Hamas and its allies in Gaza, courtesy of the IDF:

Tel Aviv residents began their morning on Thursday with the wail of the Color Red incoming rocket alert siren followed by the boom of the Iron Dome anti-missile system smashing a missilesheading straight for the city.

Large pieces of shrapnel landed in the streets of a neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv. Miraculously, no physical injuries were reported. Falling shrapnel can be extremely dangerous; residents were cautioned to remain in their shelters and safe spaces until given the “all clear” by security officials or Home Front Command — or until 10 minutes of silence has passed.

Barely two hours later, at 11:25 a.m. they were doing it again, with sirens sending hundreds of thousands of residents in Tel Aviv and Yafo (Jaffa) scrambling for cover.

Two missiles were fired at the White City but both landed in open areas in the greater metropolitan area. No physical injuries were reported. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other top officials were in the city consulting on the security situation at the time and they, too, headed straight for the shelter the second the Color Red siren was activated.

Gaza terrorists also fired M75 missile attacks at the eastern Negev cities of Dimona, Yerucham and Mitzpe Ramon, as Hamas searches desperately for a “quality” strike on a significant target. Dimona presents such a possibility; the city is home to Israel’s nuclear plant. At least one missile landed in an open area on the outskirts of the city; no physical injuries were reported. Hamas fired a barrage of three missiles at Dimona on Wednesday night as well. One of the missiles was shot down by the Iron Dome system, and two others landed in open areas, causing no physical injuries or damage.

In general, it’s been a busy morning as the Iron Dome system and its operators pick and choose which rockets and missiles must be eliminated from the skies.

A short-range rocket was shot down as it headed for the western Negev city of Netivot at around 10 am. Two other rockets landed in open areas, but not entirely without cost: the explosion ignited a fire, which required firefighters to risk their lives in coming out to extinguish the blaze as other rockets were exploding. Gaza terrorists fired a barrage of rockets and missiles towards the Negev that reached as far as 84 kilometers (52 miles) from Israel’s border with the region. Meanwhile, the IDF targeted a Hamas terrorist in northern Gaza has he was firing rockets at Israel. A direct hit was confirmed. Several hours earlier, the IDF also eliminated three Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in northern Gaza who were manufacturing medium-range missiles. Out of the PIJ’s approximate arsenal of some 5,500 rockets and missiles, more than 100 have an 80+ kilometer(50 mile) range.